


The cherry tree

by twin_fics



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-28
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-10-30 05:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/328498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twin_fics/pseuds/twin_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino doesn’t believe in spirits, but his opinion changes when he meets a very special person.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed

“But why not Nino? Why not?” Aiba asked frowning at his friend.

“Aiba, those stories are obviously for children. It’s impossible that magical beings exist in the real world.”, Nino sighed tiredly, trying to explain why he didn’t believe in the existence of the spirits of ancient Japanese folklore to his best friend for the umpteenth time.

They had met in the opening ceremony of their high school, a few years ago. It had been friendship at first sight, or that’s what Aiba always said. The truth was that Aiba bumped into Nino, making the younger boy drop the can of juice he had just bought, while he was running to the ceremony. Nino hadn’t been exactly delighted with Aiba at that moment but, when the clumsy boy returned carrying five different juices for Nino, the latter couldn’t help but reconsider his opinion about his new classmate. From then on, their friendship didn't ever stop growing; they had become best friends.

“How could a fox or a raccoon possibly be able to talk or to transform into a person?” he asked exasperated.

“Because they have powers!” the young man replied clearly frustrated by his friend’s disbelief. “And they aren’t raccoons!”

“Yeah, and everybody knows that those fox-ish beings become more and more powerful with each extra tail they grow and blah, blah, blah,” Nino said with a dismissive gesture and unchained his bicycle.

When he turned around, pulling his bicycle, he found Aiba looking at him with a sulky pout.

“But they are real!” he heard him mutter when they were leaving the school grounds.

~~

A few days later, Nino was quietly enjoying his sandwich on the school’s terrace when the sudden bang of the metal entrance door against the wall almost gave him a heart attack.

He looked up, surprised, at his best friend who ran towards him madly waving his arms.

“Have you heard the latest rumors?!” Aiba asked excitedly as soon as he reached his side.

“What rumors?” Nino asked, a bit curious, leaving his half-eaten sandwich aside.

“You know the big old sakura tree in the middle of the park? One of our classmates swears that he saw the spirit of the tree yesterday at dusk!” Aiba exclaimed looking at him delightedly. “I told you, didn’t I? Spirits do exist!”

“Aiba…”

“The whole school is talking about it! Some of our classmates are even planning to go to the park this evening to try to find it!”

Nino sighed, “Aiba, that’s…”

“We’re going to go too, right Nino?” Aiba looked at him with his best puppy eyes.

Nino looked at his best friend’s eager face and sighed again. He knew that he had lost the battle this time.

“O.k.”

“YAY!”

“But I can’t go today,” Nino warned him.

“It’s ok, we can go tomorrow morning!”

 

~~

 

The next morning, Aiba and a very grumpy Nino – he had never been a morning person and being woken by his noisy friend two hours earlier than he usually got up hadn’t done anything to improve his mood - arrived at the park’s entrance in search of the famous spirit.

“So where is that damned tree?” asked Nino with a frown, rubbing his hands to warm them in the chilly weather.

“Near the small lake,” Aiba answered smiling excitedly, “Do you think we’ll be able to find him now that there is nobody around?”

“Hmmmff,” Nino didn’t bother to answer him.

Both friends kept walking in silence through the deserted park towards the old sakura tree. They had almost reached the place, when they were surprised by the sudden appearance of a young man dressed in a traditional kimono from behind the broad trunk of the sakura tree.

“Look, there’s a man over there. Hel…mmmppppfff!”

“Shhhh!” Aiba silenced his friend by putting his hand over his mouth and dragged him behind some bushes.

The strange, dark-haired man didn’t seem to notice their presence and sat down facing the lake with his back resting against the trunk of the old tree.

“It’s him! It’s him! The spirit of the sakura tree!” Aiba whispered excitedly taking his hand off of Nino’s mouth.

“Don’t be stupid!” Nino hissed furiously at him trying to stand up.

“Shhhh! Not too loud or he’ll hear you!” Aiba whispered frantically and pulled on Nino’s wrist to keep him hidden behind the bushes. “Let’s observe him!” the young man proposed with a bright glint in his eyes.

“This is idiotic,” Nino shook his head in disbelief but didn’t try to stand up again.

They spent the following minutes carefully observing the stranger from their hideout. The young man didn’t move at all; he simply observed the morning light reflecting on the lake’s surface with a calm face.

After twenty minutes of observation, Nino found himself strangely drawn to the stranger’s blank expression and the peaceful aura that surrounded him. He shook his head to try to clear his thoughts and decided that it was time to end their pointless activity.

“Well, this is really interesting but it’s getting late and we need to be at school on time,” he complained, looking at his friend.

“But… but…” Aiba looked at him with a disappointed expression.

“But nothing! We’ve better things to do than stalk a stranger,” Nino said resolutely and stood up, leaving their hideout.

“Nino!” he heard Aiba gasping behind him.

“What?” he asked turning around.

Aiba was pointing at the small lake with a shocked expression, “Look!”

When Nino looked where Aiba was pointing, he discovered, shocked, that the odd man had disappeared without leaving any trace.

“It can’t be!” he exclaimed, astonished, and ran towards the old sakura tree. He looked around bewildered, trying to find some trace of the young man, but he couldn’t find anything. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

“So the rumor was true. He was the spirit of the sakura tree, after all,” he heard Aiba whispering in awe behind him.

Nino felt a shiver run down his spine.


	2. Chapter 2

During the next few days, Nino couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious stranger, to the point of being unable to concentrate on anything else. His curiosity getting the best of him. After that first encounter, they had returned to the park a few more times, trying to find that odd man again, but without any success.

“Maybe it was a figment of our imagination?” Nino wondered that night laying on his bed. The whole scene had felt like a dream. The morning fog rising from the lake at dawn, the soft breeze rippling the quiet waters, the young man’s calm face and the peace that seemed to surround him. . .almost like an ancient painting of breathtaking beauty. He sighed remembering it. Then he realized what he was doing and almost slapped himself. “For God’s sake! Where did all this poetic nonsense come from? In any case, this is stupid. I’m getting obsessed with a stranger I’ve seen just once. It’s true he disappeared in a very mysterious way, but to think that he is a spirit is just idiotic. I’ve had enough! Tomorrow is the last day I’m going to try to find him!” Nino decided turning off the lights.

That Saturday morning, he got up early and prepared some food, planning to enjoy a small picnic in the park. “If this time is going to be the last one, I’m going to try my best,” he thought firmly. He packed the food and some drinks in a basket, and after thinking about it for a few minutes, he included his DS too. Aiba had basketball practice that morning so it would be better if he brought something to amuse himself with while waiting for him.

It was so early in the morning that the park was almost deserted. Nino reached the old sakura tree and sat down facing the lake with his back resting against its trunk, like the strange man had done when they saw him. The weather was exceptionally warm that morning and Nino, who hadn’t slept well that night and had gotten up really early in the morning to prepare the food, began to feel sleepier with each passing second. The tree’s trunk was surprisingly comfortable and the splash of the small waves against the shore of the lake sounded like a lullaby. For a few minutes Nino tried his best to resist, but he finally fell asleep under the leafless branches of the tree.

He was awakened by the soft murmur of clothes ruffling beside him. He slowly opened his eyes, searching for the source of the sound… and found a pair of brown, almond-shaped eyes looking at him with interest.

“Wha-what!” he exclaimed opening his eyes wide, quickly trying to move backwards, but the trunk of the sakura tree stopped him.

“Hello.”

The mysterious young man he had been searching for like a crazy fool during the last two weeks was beside him! Nino almost couldn’t believe it.

“Forgive me, I didn’t want to wake you up,” the stranger apologized politely.

“Please, don’t worry about it,” Nino answered with his heart pounding strongly in his chest. He took the chance to look at him more closely, trying to find something that could tell him if the man in front of him was a spirit or not. He was short, even shorter than him, and even in the kimono, Nino could see that his figure was slim and his body well-toned. His black hair stood up in small spikes, giving him the appearance of a child that had just got out of bed, and he had the most gorgeous Japanese features Nino had ever seen. He didn’t seem to have a bag or a backpack with him, only his kimono and his traditional sandals... as if he had just appeared from nowhere.

“Do you mind if I sit down here?” the stranger asked tilting his head and pointing at the place beside Nino, apparently oblivious to the boy's intense inspection.

“Of-of course not!” Nino stuttered moving his basket out of the way.

The young man sat down beside him and fixed his eyes in the lake without another word. A minute later, he averted his eyes from the water and looked at the bewildered student expectantly.

“What’s your name?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Ni-Ninomiya Kazunari! And yours?”

“Ohno Satoshi. Pleased to meet you,” Ohno smiled and held out his hand to Nino.

Nino eyed warily the other man’s hand and held out his own hesitantly, almost expecting to pass through it. “His skin feels rather normal to the touch... ”. The other man’s hand was small and elegant, almost feminine, and his skin was warm and incredibly soft. Nino was so mesmerized by the contrast between Ohno’s long, slender fingers and his own short ones that he didn’t realize he had been holding the other’s hand longer than could be considered polite.

“I don't think I have seen you before. Do you come here often?” Ohno asked cutting through Nino’s thoughts, without any attempt to remove his hand from Nino’s.

“N-no… and you?” Nino blushed with embarrassment and released the other’s hand.

“Oh, I’m usually around here,” the man answered vaguely with a small smile.

Nino smiled back at him. They spent the next minutes in companionable silence, the mysterious man watching the quiet waters and Nino observing him discreetly.

The student was going to ask something when he was interrupted by the loud grumblings of his stomach. Ohno averted his eyes from the lake and smiled at him with a slightly interrogative expression. Nino felt his cheeks redden and hurriedly turned around to grab his lunch.

He was taking his bento out of the basket when he noticed the curious gaze of the other man.

“Do you want to try one of these?” He asked shyly, offering him a rice ball.

“Of course,” Ohno answered softly and reached his hand towards Nino’s. He looked interestedly at the rice ball and then bit it carefully.

“Umai!” he exclaimed delighted and bit the rice ball again.

Nino laughed and offered the happy man a croquette from his own bento. If Ohno was a spirit, he sure was a hungry one.

They ate the food together enjoying their own company. It was strange, but Nino felt completely at ease with Ohno, as if he had known him for years. The student chatted animatedly about his studies, his school, and his crazy friend Aiba. Ohno talked about the hidden techniques behind the ancient art of calligraphy – a theme that seemed to entrance him.

Enjoying the warmth of the sunrays on his skin and the soft voice of his newly found friend, Nino felt so relaxed that he fell asleep once more without even noticing it. He woke up a few minutes later when he heard the voice of his friend Aiba calling for him.

“Sorry Nino, my basketball practice lasted longer than I expected! Ah! Were you sleeping? How strange of you to fall asleep alone in the middle of the park!”

Alone? What was Aiba saying? He wasn’t alone, he was with Ohno, the strange man they’d been searching for during the past two weeks, wasn’t he? He quickly turned around and discovered to his surprise that Ohno had disappeared again without trace. In his place, a small sakura blossom lay on the grass.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed

“See? I told you, didn’t I? He must be the spirit of the sakura tree!” Aiba insisted, munching his sandwich.

Nino averted his eyes from the school grounds and looked at his friend, sighing with exasperation. Since he had told Aiba about his encounter with the strange man in the park, his friend had been pestering him with the same thing over and over like some sort of crazy parrot.

“Aiba, I've told you a million times already that it’s impossible.” For the tenth time that hour, Nino tried to introduce a bit of sanity to his friends mind – and the fact that the previous nine attempts had failed wasn’t going to stop him from trying.

“B-but…”

“Though I must recognize that he behaved quite strangely when I met him, and he seemed a bit odd,” Nino continued with patience.

“But he disappeared and…” Aiba tried to interrupt him.

“Yes, and the fact he had disappeared when I woke up. Those things didn’t mean he had vanished into thin air because he’s a spirit. He probably had to leave while I was asleep and didn’t want to disturb my slumber,” he declared with a frown.

“But we didn’t find anything when we searched around!” the other student protested loudly. “And we didn’t find him either when we returned to the park the next day!”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“And the sakura flower?” Aiba asked persistently. “Don’t you find it strange that there was a sakura flower where he was sitting? It’s still winter and all the trees are leafless, in case you haven’t noticed!”

Nino squirmed uncomfortably leaning on the terrace’s rail, “Hmmmmm. There might be a good explanation for that,” he sighed and took his wallet out of the pocket of his school uniform, “I’m sure there is a rational explanation behind all of this… I only have to find it,” he murmured to himself gazing at the little sakura flower carefully displayed inside the wallet, in front of his student card.

~~

 

Nino didn’t meet the mysterious man again until half a month later, and it was almost by pure chance. That morning, he had had the intention to wake up earlier than he usually got up to attend Aiba’s last basketball match – his friend had pestered him for the whole week until Nino had finally agreed to go. Nevertheless, he ended waking up later than he wanted – playing video games until three o’clock in the morning didn’t have anything to do with that, seriously – so he had had to hurry to the basketball court.

He was running through the park when he glimpsed a familiar figure in a traditional kimono sitting near the sakura tree. Nino stopped abruptly and after debating with himself for a few minutes, he decided to approach the tree. He moved stealthy behind the bushes with the purpose of spying on what the mysterious man was doing this time.

The young man was sitting seiza-style on the grass, painting something on a big paper situated on a small table in front of him.

“Hello,” Ohno said without averting his eyes from his artwork.

“He-hello!” Nino said, surprised that the man had noticed him. “I was walking around when I glimpsed your kimono. I thought I should drop and say hi.”

Ohno looked at him with a small smile, “You were so silent that I almost didn’t notice you.”

Nino blushed a bit and stuttered, “I wanted to make sure that it was you but I didn’t want to scare you. I-I wasn’t spying on you or anything!” He blushed even more and quickly put his hand over his mouth to stop his blabbering. He looked nervously at Ohno, totally mortified at being caught red handed stalking him.

Ohno laughed heartily at Nino’s ashamed expression, but his laugh was cut short by a round of rough coughs. Nino looked at the man beside him with a worried expression, noticing for the first time his pale face.

“Are you ok?” he asked reaching for the man’s forehead. His hand stopped midway however, when he realized what he was doing. Ohno was almost a stranger after all. Wouldn’t it be too pretentious of him to treat the young man with such familiarity?

Ohno tilted his head, gazing at Nino curiously, like some sort of small puppy waiting for its master command. _“So cute!”_ Nino’s hand continued its way anyway, almost against its owner's will – but only almost.

Once more, the young student felt entranced by the man’s smooth skin, but he frowned with worry when he sensed the unnatural heat. Could it be that Ohno was a bit feverish?

“I think you have a fever… Wouldn’t it be better if you rested a bit at your home?”

“Don’t worry. It’s only a slight cold,” Ohno assured the young student with a small smile, shrugging his shoulders. Like the last time Nino had touched him, he hadn’t make any attempt to get away from Nino.

“But…” Nino was starting to argue when he was interrupted by his cell phone. “Excuse me for a moment...” he said moving a few meters away to answer the call.

“Yes?”

“Nino! The match is about to start! Where are you?”. Nino removed the cell phone from his ear, trying to avoid being deafened by his friend’s excited shouts.

“Aiba? What the hell are you talking abo - Darn, the match!” Nino quickly hung up, turning around to look, embarrassed, at Ohno. “Sorry! I promised my friend I would go to watch his match! I have to leave now!” he hastily apologized, bowing slightly.

“Don’t worry. Tell your friend that I hope he wins, please.” Even though Ohno was smiling the whole time, his smile didn’t seem to reach his soft, brown eyes. It suddenly struck Nino that the young man looked a bit lonely there, surrounded by the leafless trees with his calligraphy work as his sole companion.

“Goodbye.” After bowing apologetically once more, the student ran towards the school as fast as he could, cursing his bad luck. _“Now that I had the chance to talk to him again... Damn it!”_ Besides, Nino felt slightly guilty about leaving Ohno alone when he was feeling unwell, but he couldn’t help it, he had promised Aiba after all. _“Anyway, I think that this sort things out, because it’s impossible for a spirit to get sick, right?”_

~~

Unfortunately, some days later someone proved to Nino that he was greatly mistaken in his conceptions. The young student was strolling in the park after his school classes, hoping to be lucky enough to met Ohno again, if only by chance, when he saw an old woman praying near the old sakura tree.

Nino, full of curiosity, approached the old woman with a friendly smile.

“You’re asking yourself why this old woman is praying in front of the tree, aren’t you?” she asked him with a kind smile, noticing his curiosity.

“Well… yes!” Nino admitted, a bit embarrassed.

“I’m giving thanks to the spirit of the tree for all these years.”

“The spirit of the tree?”

“Yes, yes, I know young people don’t believe in these things anymore, but my family has always prayed him for help,” she affectionately patted the trunk of the old tree.

The woman sighed sadly, “I wonder how much longer this tree is going to last...”

“Eh?” Nino stared, surprised, at the woman.

“The poor thing is really old, and it hasn’t blossomed for years now,” the woman explained to him. “I suppose it must be ill.”

Suddenly, Nino remembered Ohno’s fever and his pale skin. “The tree is ill?...” he muttered looking closely at the old trunk. “If the tree is ill, the spirit of the tree would be ill too?” he worriedly asked the old woman

“Possibly,” the woman sighed again, shrugging her shoulders.

Nino bit his lower lip looking at the leafless tree, _“Is it really a coincidence? Could it be... could it be that Ohno is really the spirit of the tree?”_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed

Nino was having problems falling asleep that night. Had his mattress always been so uncomfortable, he wondered while tossing and turning in his bed for the umpteenth time that hour. The young boy sighed. He was well aware that the problem was not in his mattress, his pillow or even the stupid, daisy patterned bed sheets his mother had used to make his bed that morning – his sister’s sheets, mind you. But even if he knew it, he wasn’t going to admit it, because seriously, what kind of fool would admit that he can’t sleep because he is worried about the sickness of the possible spirit of an ill tree? For God’s sake, he didn’t even believe in spirits to begin with! And was that strange man really the spirit of a tree? That couldn’t be true!

Nino remembered the young man’s shy smile and smiled involuntarily to himself, then the image of Ohno’s pale face appeared in his mind and he sighed again. Great! Now he was behaving like an enamoured girl. What would be next? Pulling the petals off of a daisy? “He loves me, he loves me not”? He punched his pillow with rage. It didn’t help him to fall asleep, but it sure made him feel manlier, damn it!

~

On his way back home from school the next day, Nino was still thinking about the tree's illness and its possible relation to Ohno’s bad health, when a catchy advertisement in the show window of a small shop caught his attention.  
 _“Do your plants look withered? Are their leaves small and dull-coloured? Don’t worry, we have the solution! A dose of our miraculous product every week and they will become incredibly healthy in no time! Don’t miss our special offer: 2 for 1!!”_

He averted his gaze from the advertisement and tried to continue on his way home, but his feet seemed to have grown roots. Nino read the advertisement again and debated with himself for a few minutes. Finally, he decided to enter the shop and find out more about this so called ‘miraculous’ medicine.

“Excuse me, about the medicine advertised in the show window...” he asked the salesclerk.

“Ah! It’s a wonderful product!” exclaimed the young woman. “It healed one of my geraniums when I thought it was dead!”

“But… do you think it would work on larger plants? Like a tree for example?”

“Absolutely! My old grandpa normally uses it on his fruit trees when they get ill, and he doesn’t have any complaint!”

Nino asked the product’s price and looked pensively at his wallet. He was trying to make his mind up whether to buy it or not, when his gaze stopped on the sakura blossom in front of his student i.d. card.

A few minutes later, he exited the shop with two bags of the medicine carefully wrapped up in a package. _“Well, I don’t lose anything giving it a try, do I?”_

He entered the park and walked towards the old sakura tree. _“Spring it’s almost here,”_ he thought enjoying the warm weather and the abundant greenery surrounding him. When he reached the tree, Nino looked worriedly at its almost leafless branches. Compared with the surrounding trees, the old sakura tree seemed to be still stuck in the middle of winter. _“That woman wasn’t lying when she told me that you’re ill, was she?”_ he sighed.

Using a plastic bottle he found in a near garbage can, he carefully mixed part of the medicine with some water from the nearby lake. Glancing nervously around him, he emptied the contents of the bottle on the roots of the tree. After a few seconds, he hesitantly patted the tree’s trunk and whispered “Get better, O.k.?”  
Feeling a bit stupid, he resumed his way home, carrying the spare medicine inside his bag.

~~

That Saturday after lunch, Nino decided to go to the park to check if the medicine had had any effect. He knew he was being stupid, after all it had been only five days since he used it, but his curiosity and worry were more powerful than his common sense.

He was about to leave his room, when he glimpsed his old guitar resting half forgotten against a wall. _“It has been a while since I played anything, hasn't it?”_. Following an impulse, he decided to bring it with him too.

Once in the park, he looked critically at the leaves of the old sakura tree searching for any sign of recovery. _“I think there are more leaves this time... and they seem to be greener now, don’t they?”_

The young student decided to keep the tree company; after all he didn’t have anything better to do, did he? Aiba was out of the city that weekend - he had gone on a trip to visit an old friend of his – and the game he was waiting for wouldn’t be released until next month. Moreover, if he waited long enough near the old tree, maybe he would be lucky enough to meet Ohno again

Nino took his guitar out of its cover and sat resting his back against the tree’s trunk. It was quite early in the morning, and the park was almost deserted, so it was unlikely that anyone could hear him. He slowly began to play a soft melody, and after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and began to sing accompanying the melody.

He was so absorbed in his song, that he didn’t notice when a silent figure approached him from behind the trunk. A few minutes later, Nino finished his song with a contented sigh. Suddenly, he heard someone applauding beside him and opened his eyes, startled.

In front of him, Ohno was clapping enthusiastically with a big smile in his face. Nino blushed slightly and put away his old guitar.

“I love hearing you play and sing.” The young man affirmed with the innocence of a child, sitting beside Nino, so close that their knees were almost touching .

Nino felt his heart skip a bit and his cheeks got intensely red. “Th- thank you,” he murmured trying to look anywhere but at Ohno’s admiring eyes. “What about your cold? Did you get better?” Nino asked the other man, trying to cover his embarrassment. _“Did the medicine work?”_ he almost added at the end, but he bit his tongue in time.

“Yup! I feel much better now, thanks!” Ohno exclaimed happily.

“He doesn’t look as pale as the last time.” He noticed Ohno’s pink cheeks, and how he looked healthier than the last time. _“Could it be a coincidence? The tree seems to get better, and so does he. I’ve only met him near this old tree. He has disappeared without a trace twice. He seems to be rather odd and I’ve never seen him carrying a bag or a backpack… only a traditional kimono – that really suits him, by the way. And he has a quiet but at the same time warm, almost unnatural, aura around him. Aren’t these too many coincidences?”_ Nino scratched his chin pensively, observing the other man.

“I suddenly began to feel better a few days ago” the young man seemed oblivious to Nino’s intense stare. “I’m not completely healed and I cough sometimes, but I don’t have a fever any more!”

Nino smiled at him. “I’m really happy to hear it! You made me a bit worried that day!”

“Anyway, there is something I think could help me to recover…” Ohno timidly commented after some seconds of companionable silence between them.

“Yes?” Nino asked with curiosity when the young man stopped his phrase unfinished.

“I think… I-I would feel much better if I could hear you play and sing a bit more…” Ohno asked him with a shy smile.

Nino felt a pleasant warmth spreading though his chest, “Of course! I don’t mind singing for you!” he quickly answered taking his guitar out of its case once more. The truth was he usually only sang when he was alone - he had always felt incredibly shy when other people stopped to look at him curiously - but strangely enough, he didn’t feel uncomfortable or even a bit embarrassed in front of Ohno’s mesmerized gaze.

 

~~

Finally convinced of the fact that Ohno truly was the spirit of the old tree – though he would never admit it willingly in front of his friend Aiba, - he frantically searched for information about the different sickness of trees and their symptoms. After learning that some things like the water used to boil vegetables or eggshells were good for plants, he decided to use some of them on the sakura tree… only if by chance it got better.

From that day on, Nino made a habit of waking up early every morning to visit the park and check on the state of the old tree. He often buried some eggshells near the roots and, occasionally, watered it with the water used to boil vegetables or the medicine he had bought weeks ago. Nino’s mother found her son’s new interest in gardening a bit strange, but well, maybe he had been playing a gardening video game or something similar. Every time, the young student would spend a few minutes chatting amicably with the sakura tree. He even patted it affectionately sometimes. And some weekends, when he was free, he spent a few hours playing different songs under the old tree.

After some weeks, Nino noticed, relieved, that the sakura tree had gotten clearly healthier under his care. However, he was still a bit worried because the rest of the trees in the park were almost in full blossom and the old tree didn't have a single bud. Was there anything he could do to help the tree to blossom?

~~

A few weeks later, on a warm night with soft breeze, Nino was hurriedly crossing the park on his way back home from one of his mother’s errands, when his attention was caught by a sudden movement near the old sakura tree.

 _“Who could it be at such an hour?”_ he wondered. _“Maybe it’s a pair of love-birds on a date? Could it be some vandals?”_ Greatly preoccupied about the welfare of his tree, he decided to take a look and check if everything was ok. He slowly approached the bushes that surrounded the tree, and peeked between the branches. At that moment, the moon appeared between the clouds showing him the source of the movement he had seen before. His breath got caught in his chest, and he couldn’t help but stare, transfixed by the sight in front of him.

In a clearing bathed by the bright light of the moon, Ohno was dancing in silence, following a melody that only he could seem to hear. He was holding a fan in front of him and his kimono was even more luxurious than his usual one. His movements were slow, precise and beautiful and he was absolutely concentrated on the steps of the traditional male dance he was performing. The sakura petals of the near trees, falling slowly around him and over the quiet water of the lake, only served to enhance the magical felling of the entire scene.

Nino, unable to avert his eyes from the dancing figure in front of him, tried to get closer unconsciously, feeling like he was in the middle of a dream. Suddenly, he felt a branch breaking under his feet.

The sound echoed through the park like a shot, snapping Ohno out of his trance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed.

Ohno brusquely turned around, searching for the source of the sudden noise. His eyes opened wide when he glimpsed Nino’s small frame semi hidden behind the bushes.

“Nino.”

“H-Hi. I was passing by and I thought there was something moving near the tree so I decided to take a look. I didn’t intend to interrupt your dance, sorry!” the young student hastily apologized, abandoning his hideout. Again he had been caught red handed stalking the tree spirit. What was Ohno going to think of him? He hoped that the surrounding darkness was enough to hide his burning cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I think it was time to take a rest anyway.” The young man sat on the ground, dismissing Nino’s worries with a graceful movement of his hand. Then, he patted the place next to him, smiling encouragingly at the mortified student. Nino didn’t even think twice and sat near the spirit, so close that their arms were almost brushing. They spent the next minutes in silence. Nino felt too embarrassed to say anything, and Ohno seemed content enough just enjoying the soft caress of the breeze.

 _“Why do I feel so flustered? Do I have a fever?”_ Nino felt his forehead, hoping Ohno wouldn't notice, but only his cheeks felt hotter than usual. He risked a quick side-glance at Ohno, and his heart did a funny flip when he found the latter staring intently at him.

“Ho-How are you? Did you get better?” he asked, quickly averting his eyes from the other man.

“I’m almost recovered,” the spirit replied. “Thank you.”

Ohno’s voice came in a breathy whisper that woke goose bumps up and down Nino’s arms and neck. Had the spirit’s voice always had that distinct raspy tone? Was it the effect of the night and their closeness? Nino didn’t know, but he could swear that his heart had never beaten this fast in his whole life. He wondered if Ohno was able to hear it.

“And you? You look tired,” Ohno continued with a slight frown, snapping the young student out of his thoughts.

“Well, I’m studying for my exams; Graduation Day is near and we have lot of tests before it.”

 _“And I have been playing video games until late again,”_ he admitted to himself, but he wasn’t going to say that aloud.

“Graduation Day?” Ohno titled his head with an expression slightly interrogative.

“Don’t you know what it is?” Nino stared at the other man incredulously until he remembered that Ohno was the spirit of a tree. _“Could it be the first time he's heard about it?”_

“It’s a ceremony in which the school gives diplomas to the students that have passed their tests, and therefore ended their high school years, finally becoming adults,” he tried to explain awkwardly. “Usually, the student’s family and beloved ones attend the ceremony and then they celebrate the occasion by eating all together and…”

“There is food involved?” asked Ohno suddenly perking up.

“Well, not always” Nino replied amused, but he hastily corrected himself when he saw Ohno’s face fall a bit. “But almost everybody celebrates it in that way!” he assured the disappointed spirit.

“That must be nice” Ohno answered looking dreamily at the lake's quiet water.

“W-Would you like to celebrate it with me?” Nino spluttered without thinking.

The student regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. _“Where did that come from? And how could I have been so blunt?”_ He could feel his whole face turning bright red. He quickly averted his gaze and focused it in his short fingers. “I could prepare a picnic, like the other time, and we could enjoy it here and… well, it's just an idea but…”

“Are you going to make those delicious rice balls again?” Ohno was looking hopefully at him, oblivious to the student's embarrassment.

“Of course!” the young student replied immediately.

“Then o.k., but only if you get high marks in your exams,” Ohno answered with a crooked smile.

“It’s a promise then!” Nino exclaimed, deliriously happy, extending his pinky finger in the other man’s direction... and feeling incredibly stupid immediately afterwards. But Ohno just intertwined his pinky finger with Nino’s without a word. They looked at each other and laughed aloud.

A few minutes later, the young man let out a reluctant sigh and got up slowly, “I think it’s time to resume my dancing.”

Nino nodded and said goodbye to him. When he was leaving the park, he could see Ohno dancing again near the lake.

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t ask him what he was doing. I wonder why he is dancing in the middle of the night.”

~~

The next day, when Nino crossed the park on his way to school, he saw something that rendered him speechless, “The tree has blossomed!” the young student exclaimed amazed.

He slowly approached the tree, looking in awe at its heavy branches, now covered with delicate, little, pink flowers.

“How is this possible? I’m sure that yesterday, the tree didn’t have a single bud… and now it’s in full bloom!” He reverently touched the trunk.

“Maybe he was dancing to make the tree blossom?” he thought enjoying the magnificent sight of the branches of the tree completely covered by flowers.

“I have to work hard too!” he decided remembering his promise with Ohno.

The following days, the young student spent almost all his time studying in order to excel in his exams, though he made sure not to neglect his tree either. The fact that it was in full bloom now, didn’t mean that it was completely recovered, did it? Moreover, he liked to spend at least a few minutes talking to it everyday. It made him feel calmer.

“No more video games? No more visits to the game center either? Only studying? Who are you and what have you done with my friend Nino?” Aiba mocked him one day, but Nino could see that he was really puzzled by his recent behavior. Anyway, Nino was determined to make Ohno proud of him, so he kept studying diligently and completely ignored Aiba’s whining and mocking jokes.

~~

“Nino! Wake up or you will be late for school,” the young student could hear his mother calling him from the first floor. He grumbled a bit and stubbornly tried to return to the wonderful dream he was having. Where was he? Ah, yes! He was enjoying a picnic with Ohno under the sakura blossoms and they were about to kiss… KISS?!

He brusquely opened his eyes and lifted his head, looking bewildered at his surroundings like a doe suddenly surprised by the lights of a car. What was that?... And why wasn’t he laying in his bed? He grimaced when he felt the sudden sharp pain coming from his stiff neck.

 _“Next time I should study in my bed, not in my desk,”_ he thought carefully rubbing his sore shoulders and neck. Absentmindedly, he looked out the window in front of his desk, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. The street was full of leaves, broken branches, papers… He blinked, stunned by the destruction in front of him.

“Nino, darling, I really think you should close your mouth before you start drooling on your text books,” Nino’s mother entered her son’s room and began to pick up the discarded clothes on her son’s bed. “It’s not very cool, you know?”

“W-What has happened?” he asked his mother, pointing, bewildered, out the window.

“You didn’t notice the storm last night?” asked his mother incredulously. “I thought we were going to lose our roof for sure!”

“S-Storm? I didn’t notice anything!”

“Well, I suppose you were too tired to notice anything,” his mother smiled gently at him, smoothing down her son’s bed hair with her hand. “Breakfast is ready. Come down quickly or it will get cold,” she added before leaving the room

“It must have been a really strong storm,” Nino looked outside the window anxiously. . “After all of Ohno’s hard work… Could the tree have lost its blossoms? Maybe even some of its branches! I should check it before I go to school”

However, when he arrived at the park he found it closed for renovations. He stared in surprise at the workers that were moving lights, wooden benches and other things into the park.

“What is all of this?” he asked one of the workers, confused.

“Sorry, the park is currently closed. The Prime Minister is going to visit our town in a few weeks and the Mayor has ordered us to prepare the park and other public places for his visit.”

“When will the park be open again?” he asked anxiously.

“The latest storm has tripled our work, but I think it will be open again at the end of the next week.”

Nino sighed, disappointed, and left the park dragging his feet. He spent the following days studying for his exams and wondering if his tree would be fine without him.

~~

The tests passed in the blink of an eye, and Nino soon found Aiba and himself exiting the big hall where the Graduation Ceremony had taken place, with their diplomas in their hands. Nino’s proud family had left already, leaving the two friends alone to celebrate the event.

“The Graduation Ceremony was really fun, right Nino?” Aiba exclaimed bouncing happily beside him and hitting Nino’s head softly with his diploma. “By the way, how have you managed to achieve those high marks? Tell me your secret!” he pestered, poking Nino in the ribs.

“Studying?” he laughed poking Aiba back.

“Boooooring!” Aiba stuck out his tongue at his friend. “Anyway, what are you going to do now? Do you want to go to a karaoke place?”

“Maybe later. They’re going to open the park today, and I want to make sure that my tree is o.k.”

“Your tree? What are you now, a gardener?” Aiba joked, looking puzzled at his friend.

“Something like that. I’ll call you later!” Nino said goodbye to his friend and hurried to his house to pick up the picnic basket he had prepared that morning – with an extra service of rice balls for Ohno, of course. After that, he made his way to the park as fast as he could, anxious to see the tree spirit again.

When he arrived, he hurried through the trees dodging the people that were enjoying the day, celebrating, throwing parties under the blossomed trees. He didn’t notice anything unusual until he had the lake in sight. At that moment, his eyes widened, shocked, watching the clearing among the sakura trees.

“Wh-What!? I must be dreaming,” the picnic basket fell on the ground forgotten. “It can’t be true!!” he cried out horrified and ran towards the clearing, his heart beating painfully in his chest.

Where the old sakura tree once stood, there was only a solitary stump.

“The workers cut down the tree, boy,” an old man seated on a bench, drinking a beer, told him. “It was old and seemed to be ill too. I heard the storm we had three weeks ago broke it.”

“No…no!” Nino shook his head vehemently, “It’s impossible. It was almost completely healed… It had even blossomed for the first time in years!”

The old man looked at the distressed student and shrugged his shoulders. Who could understand young people these days? He got up and continued on his way drinking his beer.

Nino’s legs gave way and he fell on his knees beside the stump. He felt his cheeks becoming wet with tears he hadn’t noticed he had shed. He caressed the stump of the old tree, realizing that he would never be able to celebrate his graduation with Ohno.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed.

“Nino?” a well-known voice, calling him softly, pushed Nino out of his grief-stricken trance.

 _“It can’t be!”_ The student opened wide his swollen eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and then began to beat so quickly that it was almost painful. He turned sharply to look at the owner of the voice, almost falling against the tree’s stump in his haste.

Feeling a bit dizzy, Nino stared dumbfounded at the young man who was looking at him with a slightly surprised expression. Ohno was dressed in an elegant kimono – the kind of kimono that people wore only for very special occasions. He was carrying something wrapped in a cloth that had the shape of a thin book.  
 _“H-How is this possible?”_ The young student gulped and rubbed his eyes, unable to believe in the image in front of him.

“Nino?” Ohno asked again, this time with a hint of worry in his voice. “Why are you crying? Did you fail your exams?” he gently inquired looking with concern at Nino’s swollen eyes and tear stained face.

“Oh-chan!” Nino shouted and ran towards the worried man, quickly covering the few meters that stood between them. “I thought that I had lost you when I found the old sakura tree cut down!” Nino fiercely hugged the troubled man. Shaking violently, his tears began to flow again.

Ohno let the box he was carrying fall to the ground and hugged Nino back, softly caressing his hair. “Don’t worry, everything is alright,” he reassured him with a gentle whisper trying to soothe the sobbing student, “Calm down, o.k.?”

Nino simply tightened his embrace and buried his face in Ohno’s neck, stubbornly refusing to release him. He didn’t understand how it was possible that Ohno was there, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let him go anywhere, anytime soon.

They embraced for a few minutes. The young man soothingly rubbed Nino’s back in silence until the student slowly calmed down.

“Are you feeling better now?” Ohno asked him when he felt the young student finally relaxing in their embrace.

“Y-yes…” Nino hiccuped and moved slightly away so he could look at Ohno’s face. However, he didn’t weaken his firm grip on the young man’s kimono.

Ohno smiled at him and tenderly brushed Nino’s cheeks with his thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears. “Now, tell me. Why are you crying? And why did you think that the disappearance of the old tree could harm me in any way?”

“B-Because you’re the spirit of the old sakura tree, right?” Nino said, a bit confused.

“Eh? I’m not a spirit!” the young man protested with an adorable laugh.

“But you’re always dressed in those traditional clothes, and I’ve only met you here, near the old tree, and…” Nino began to list, counting with his fingers.

“It’s true that I belong to a family well-known for their relation with the ancient Japanese arts, so I’m used to wearing traditional clothes. Besides, I live near this park and I liked to practice calligraphy and dance near this tree. But that doesn’t make me a spirit!”

“B-But then h-how…” the young student protested, puzzled, feeling a sudden need to sit.

“I think it would be better if you sit down,” murmured Ohno putting his hand on Nino’s forehead, worried about the paleness of the young student.

 _“Is this a dream?”_ Nino thought feeling dizzy while the young man helped him to sit down on the stump of the old tree. Then, he went to pick up the wrapped box he had been carrying and the picnic basket that Nino had dropped in the middle of the path.

 _“And all those strange things that happened each time I met him?”_ Nino weakly shook his head watching Ohno’s return.

“But… what about your mysterious disappearances? And why the old tree blossomed after your dance? How did you do that if you aren’t a spirit?” he asked him, trying to understand.

“Eh? I don’t know what are you talki-”

“Ehem!” a voice interrupted them, “I think we have something to say regarding those questions.”

They turned around to find Aiba looking at them apologetically. He was accompanied by a young, handsome man also dressed in a traditional kimono.

“E-EH?” Nino stuttered looking bewildered at his friend, _“Why is Aiba here? And why did he say that he has something to do with all those events?”_

“Sho-kun!” Ohno exclaimed surprised.

“D-Do you know him?” Nino asked looking at him baffled.

“Yes, he is-”

“I was only trying to help you to meet Ohno!” Aiba exclaimed remorsefully, hugging a shocked Nino and interrupting Ohno’s explanation, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t expect them to cut down the sakura tree!” he tightened his grip on his friend’s neck, almost choking him.

“Masaki, calm down and let the poor boy breathe,” said the man named Sho, putting a hand on Aiba’s back and making the latter release his death grip.

“Let me explain to you what all of this is about. I’m Sakurai Sho, a friend of Aiba's. I teach the art of flower arrangement to Ohno. That’s why I’m wearing a kimono too,” he smiled pointing at his kimono.

Nino nodded slowly, rubbing his sore neck, as his astonished gaze jumped between Sho and Aiba.

“Well, everything started when-” Sho began to explain when he was suddenly interrupted by a clear voice sounding above them.

“Congratulations!”

Everybody raised their heads towards the source of the voice and looked –more or less surprised – at the young and handsome man, richly dressed as an imperial messenger, floating over them.

 _“I think there is nothing more that can surprise me after this,”_ Nino thought stunned, grateful for being already seated on the stump.

“I, Matsumoto Jun, official messenger of our Beloved Celestial Emperor, proudly announce that the foxes Aiba Masaki and Sakurai Sho have completed their mission successfully. Therefore, they are now considered worthy of obtaining an additional tail granted by His Highness as a reward for their efforts in paying the ancient debt He had contracted with the family of the human Ohno Satoshi!” the handsome man pompously declared and lightly clapped his delicate hands.

After those words, there was a bright light and a little fanfare. When Nino opened his eyes again, he could see that his friend and his companion had changed. Now, both were shinning with a soft, golden glow and they had fox ears and fox tails, four tails in Aiba’s case and six in Sho’s.

“YOU, you were the spirit!” Nino exclaimed, astonished, pointing at Aiba with a trembling hand and realizing how wrong he has been in his previous statement about the impossibility to be more surprised that day.

“Yes…” Aiba nodded with a broad smile, scratching one of his foxy ears, “I told you that spirits were real, didn’t I?” he smiled a bit embarrassed.

“What will it be next? Are you going to make a kangaroo appear from your school bag?” Nino asked ironically. “Because if you’re going to do something similar, please warn me beforehand. I’ve had enough surprises for today.”

“Ehem!” Sho coughed lightly, trying to grab Nino’s attention again, “As I was saying-”

Suddenly, a loud rumbling interrupted them. “Sorry, Sho-kun…” Ohno interjected blushing a bit, “Why don’t we celebrate the graduation of Nino and Aiba before that? And we can celebrate your… spiritual upgrade too, if you want.” He looked at them hopefully, softly rubbing his protesting stomach.

With those simple words, the mystical moment was broken and everybody laughed loudly. They quickly prepared the food and drinks that Nino had brought on a blanket and everybody sat around the food.

“Nino’s food is the best!” Ohno beamed munching a rice ball with a beatific smile. “Ah! I almost forget!” he exclaimed and picked up the wrapped box that was lying beside him. “Please accept this as a gift for your graduation.” he politely said to Nino and offered him the box.

Full of curiosity, Nino carefully unpacked the box and opened it. Inside there was a beautiful work of calligraphy in which Nino could read the word: “Congratulations!”

“I-I don’t know what to say… Thank you!” the young student exclaimed in awe, carefully examining the delicate piece of art.

Ohno smiled at him rubbing his nape, a bit embarrassed, “It’s nothing.”

“Well,” Sho cleaned his hands with a napkin, “I think that now is a wonderful moment to explain all the things that have been troubling you, Nino.”

Nino nodded and delicately put aside the work of calligraphy on the cloth used to wrap it. He looked expectantly at Sho.

“Everything began when Masaki and I were ordered by…” Sho started again only to be interrupted for the third time by an enthusiastic voice.

“You know, our Beloved Celestial Emperor would be extremely delighted to own a fine piece of art like this.”

They turned around, surprised, only to find Jun sitting nonchalantly beside Nino, carefully admiring Ohno’s calligraphy work. The imperial messenger noticed everybody’s gaze fixed on him and asked, becoming a bit bothered, “What?”

“We thought you had returned to His Highness’s Court already.” Aiba explained to him.

“I feel magnanimous today so I will celebrate His Highness’s reward with all of you. Be grateful!”

“Here, take one of these. They’re delicious!” Ohno smiled and handed the celestial messenger a rice ball.

Sagely, Sho decided to wait till the end of the celebration to begin with the explanations. Maybe that way, he hoped, he would be fortunate enough to be able to explain at least one or two things before being interrupted again.

 

~~

 

Finally, after everybody had filled their stomachs and had drunk to their hearts content, Sho began to explain how and why he and Aiba had deceived Nino.

“A long time ago, His Highness contracted an important debt with Ohno’s family – though I don’t know about the nature of that debt – and he promised to repay it no matter what. Then, a lot of things happened that made Our Beloved Celestial Emperor unable to honor his promise until now.”

Sho changed his position a bit to get closer to Aiba. “Our participation in this mission began when His Highness found out about my friendship with Ohno and Masaki’s friendship with Nino, Ohno’s soul mate,” he explained with a warm smile.

 _“W-What!? Soul m-mates?”_ Nino snapped his head to look at Ohno with a shocked expression. The young man looked back at him, beaming, and winked mischievously. The young student blushed intensely and diverted his gaze from Ohno’s happy face, almost missing the next words of Sho’s explanation.

“…In spite of our spiritual nature, Masaki and I have always loved to live among humans. We live common lives, make friends, getting jobs, studying and graduating like everybody else,” he smiled warmly at Aiba who nodded, playing happily with his diploma.

“Our mission was to make you and Ohno meet a few times and help you to fall in love with each other… Well, that was the original plan, but then Masaki insisted on convincing you that Ohno was a spirit,” Sho explained with a sigh.

“I just wanted Nino to believe in spirits!” protested Aiba, “He’s my best friend, but never believed me when I told him that spirits exist. This was the perfect revenge!” he chuckled evilly.

Nino frowned at him and was about to protest when he felt Ohno’s soothing hand cupping his. _“Well, it wasn’t so bad, was it? After all, I got to meet Ohno,”_ he thought enjoying the warmth of the young man. “O.k. I suppose it was my fault for not believing in you in the first place…” he sighed.

“Yay!” Aiba clapped happily.

“First, we made you believe that Ohno could appear and disappear mysteriously into the air - though he didn’t know anything about it - like the first time you saw him. This was really easy because illusion is one of our best skills,” Sho kept explaining.

“Second, we left the sakura blossom behind when he left you sleeping in order to return in time for his lessons.” Aiba said with a grin.

“Your lessons?” Nino asked looking at Ohno curiously.

“Yes, in order to follow my family’s tradition, I receive lessons everyday. Calligraphy on Mondays, flower arrangement on Tuesdays, traditional male dancing on Wednesdays, etc.” Ohno answered nonchalantly. “It has been this way since my childhood so I’ve never gone to school. I’ve always had private tutors to teach me everything.”

“That many lessons!” exclaimed Nino shocked. “And that’s why you didn’t know how a Graduation Ceremony is celebrated!”

Ohno nodded, a bit surprised by Nino’s explosive reaction.

“And he excells in all of them,” Sho commented proudly. “He has made various exhibitions of calligraphy and has given performances of traditional male dancing all around the world.”

Nino looked in awe at the young man seated beside him and Ohno blushed a bit, rubbing his nape embarrassed.  
“The last part was the most difficult,” Aiba commented. “We hadn’t prepared anything more, but when Sho saw you that night in the park, he thought that making the old tree blossom would surely convince you that Ohno was indeed the spirit of the sakura tree.”

“But Oh-chan recovered from his cold at the same time the old tree was healed!” Nino exclaimed unable to understand how the foxes had been able to time those events so well.

“Well, I must say that the perfect timing of those events was a happy coincidence for which we’re really grateful!” Sho smiled cheerfully. “What we didn’t expect was the big storm that broke the old tree and the workers who cut it down…” he sighed. “I sincerely apologize for making you worry so much for Ohno’s welfare,” he bowed to Nino with an apologetic expression and was followed by Aiba.

“So, all the times I talked to the tree and took care of it … were for nothing?” Nino asked feeling a bit betrayed. “All that money I spent on medicine for the tree, all for nothing?” he asked getting angrier with each memory.

“Well… yes?” Aiba replied not looking ashamed at all.

“Aibaaaaaa!” Nino began to growl furiously at his friend, but he was interrupted by Ohno’s lips on his cheek.

“Well, you can always think of it as an investment!” Ohno exclaimed cheerfully with a mischievous wink meant for the fox spirits.

Nino blushed intensely, forgetting all his plans about getting his revenge on Aiba. After a second, he began to smile - a big and evil smile - and rapidly turned. He grabbed Ohno’s head and planted a kiss full on the lips of the surprised young man. The merry laugh of the three spirits reached even His Highness’s Court.

**END**


End file.
